My favorite spot
almost every weekend at around noon -sometimes a little later, depending if I had to stop at CP to take my 3 hour rest from the week- you would have found me in front of Balthazar's on Spring street. Sitting down on their benches in front of the bakery, I was having my very special time. Some might call it going for coffee, for me it was a ritual which completed my splendid stroll through SoHo.
And it was one of these sweet days that I discovered photographer LH, taking polaroids which she then processed in a certain way
-pls take a look at one example right here.
Of course I had to get one of these pieces of art which fortunately captured the red marquee of Balthazar's in the background. See how even little things make me happy...
Check out LH's website under Lotte Hansen
Ozlem
posted by Özlem @ Sunday, August 06, 2006
2 Comments:
Hi Ozlem, i just had to comment about how wonderful you look here...this image by LH captures so much.
I'm glad you finally had the chance to get some time to spend at your oasis (central park). I know it is so blissful to bask in the sunshine.... We will have to make a date to go back to balthazar together very soon (i'll have to let you enjoy CP on your own though ;). but, i promise, once you've found your favourite spot in London and i'll just have to come and visit you there too!!
Miss you lots,
Pavan
The aspiration of the poet is to see the entire universe in a grain of sand. Similarly, the aspiration of Ozlem's many admirers is to understand her peculiar (but mostly lovable) moods at any instance in time through a quick examination of her hair. Even in the best of times, Ozlem's hair is often a study of youthful exuberance amidst a certain kind of controlled chaos – her hairs ebbs and flows in all directs often as once, creating an impression of disorder, and yet, as with Pollock, Kandinsky and Seurat, the image is ultimately an artful one. Her hair radiates out, like the sun, curling around ever so effortlessly over the course of its length, only succumbing to gravity towards the end of its extension. What one is left with is a flexible sort of bounce, that seems almost happy and spirited (even playful) by nature, made all the more happy, spirited and playful by Ozlem’s naturally kinetic energy, which transcends the materiality of her hair into something symbolic.
And so, with this knowledge as our base, we suddenly see small subtleties in the way Ozlem’s hair moves as she changes her moods. Angry or agitated Ozlem usually sports a more fiery, tightly wound set of curls, which move more abruptly and stiffly (in a herky-jerky styled motion), in harmony with her more abrupt and staccato head movements while angered. With happy Ozlem, one is greeted with a bouncier, more vibrant hairflow, (i.e. as though her hair were on springs) with her hair playfully wisping around her head as she tilts her head back and forth and laughs with the fullness of her body. Tired Ozlem – well – one can almost see her curls relax as she aggressively yawns in one’s face (if one has never seen this, one can instantly inspire such yawn by recounting to her something about the heritage (food, history or otherwise) of China) and her hair unwittingly begins to slouch. And of course, who can forget pensive Ozlem, whose eyebrows begin to furrow to and fro uncontrollably and, with her entire energy concentrated on her eyebrow movement, her hair, at a loss for what to do, manages to remain absolutely still.
With this in mind, we turn now to her picture – Ozlem looking pensively off to the side (either that or she’s posing), with her favorite café/brasserie as a backdrop, her wisps of hair contemplating the meaning of life as they gracefully fall away from her face --- but, hmmmmm … is that the hint of a mischievous smile I see on the right-hand corner of her face? Indeed, her thoughts must be veering towards the more rambunctious – perhaps the prospect of a pillow fight on a nice beige micro suede sectional as she watches art films from France, or perhaps, she is spying an attractive young diplomat from Qatar sporting an impressively tight black t-shirt while riding an icy green Vespa just across the street – in fact, I think that must be it as I see wisps of hair standing almost erect at the top of her head, excited by the prospects of riding that Vespa down the street to Avenue B where she can get her weekly fix of Turkish appetizers and sweet melon shisha.
How exciting! To Maia it is! (Just watch out for the Asian belly dancers - I think they make her hair curl).
Post a Comment
<< Home